Fence



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.TOHANN C. TAUBER, OF PLAIN CITY, OHIO.

srncrrrcn'rron forming part of Letters Patent No. 444,225, dated January e, 1891? Application filed July 12, 1890. Serial No. 358,521. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHANN O. TAUBER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plain City, county of Madison, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fences, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the in vention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

My invention relates to ornamental picket fences made of wooden pickets.

The object of the invention is to produce an ornamental picket fence composed of wooden pickets which will not obstruct the view of the lawn or premises to any greater extent than an iron fence would and which will be cheap and durable. To accomplish this I use very slender pickets and a peculiar and improved staple-fastening device that securely attaches the picket to the supporting-stringer without bruising or weakening it at its point of attachment and without compressing or bruising the grain of the wood to an appreciable extent. To accomplish this I use a staple which does not depend upon surface pressure to hold the picket from dropping or being pulled out, as in other methods, but a staple that loosely envelops the picket and holds the picket in place by having the ends of said staple return through the stringer and embed its ends lightly into the picket, thereby holding the picket from dropping or being pulled out without weakening, compressing, or bruising the grain of the wood to an appreciable extent. It is evident that a round, square, or flat staple can be used; but the flattened form is preferred.

Another feature of the invention is the means for rapidly freeing the picket from water and moisture, in case of rains, and particularly for preventing moisture accumulating on the pickets at the point of juncture with the staple, which would have a tendency to rot and destroy the picket. To this end I provide the picket with one or more longitudinal water-carrying grooves.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation view of a section of fence constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse horizontal sectional view taken through the picket and stringer. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation view of the fence.

A is a picket of little transverse area compared with its length, and provided on its front face with the two longitudinal watercarrying grooves a. A flat iron stringer Bis provided with a series of staple holes or openings Z), said openings being arranged in series of two pairs each, the outer or most distantlyseparated openings of each series of pairs being located about as far apart as the .width of the pickets, so that the staple hereinafter described mayenter said holes after passing around the picket without compressing or injuring the fiber of the pickets. A staple C, preferably of flat formation, is passed loosely around the front part of the picket, so as to encircle the same. Theflat face of the staple engages with the front and side faces of the picket. The extremities of the staple respectively pass through the two outer holes of the two pairs of holes and thence are bent about the connecting-strips c, that are intermediate of the outer and inner holes of each pair, and thence pass, respectively, through the inner holes of each pair and are embedded in the back of said picket. It will thus be seen that a strong and secure fastening is made without compressing or injuring the fiber of the wood and also leaving the picket with a space between it and the front of the staple, so that water will readily flow between the staple and the picket, and hence keep the picket dry and free from moisture that would have a tendency to injure and rot out the picket.

Heretofore pickets have usually been secured to the stringer by either nailing or riveting them to the stringer, in which case an opening must be made directly through the middle of the picket. This manner of connection would be very apt to split a picket made as small in cross-section as is desirable for the object I have in view. It would, at least, greatly weaken the picket. Another mode has been to secure the picket to the stringer by tightly encircling it with a wire that passed through openings in the stringer and was twisted on the back side of said stringer, or by tightly clamping the picket against a round stringer which is thus indented into the wood of said picket. Methods of this character all depend upon surface pressure to hold the picket from being pulled or dropping out, and the pressure thus required to hold them in place has a tendency to compress and bruise the grain.

By employing a flat stringer I obtain a bearing-surface for the picket which cannot cut into the same or otherwise injure it, and which is less liable to sag on account of its flat shape than a round-wire stringer which has no more resistance in one direction than another. It is the particular aim of this invention to provide means for securing a slight thin wooden picket to a fiat metallic stringer without injuring the picket by either bruising it with wire staples or loops, or with a wire stringer, or splitting and weakening it with nails or pins driven or otherwise inserted through it. If this fastening should be used with a wooden picket without the grooves in its faces, said picket would be liable to rot at the stringer-and fastening and to rust the stringerand fastening by accumulating dampness, and it would thus become loosened in its fastening, and for the purpose of avoiding this I prefer to longitudinally groove the pickets, although plain pickets may be successfully employed.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings set forth in detail the mechanism embodying myinvention, change may be made therein provided the principles of construction respeetivelyrecited in the following claims are employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. In a fence, the combination of a Hat perforated stringer. a wooden picket, and a staple loosely encircling said picket and having its ends inserted through said stringer and returned through the same into the picket, substantially as described.

2. In a fence, the combination of a flat stringer having two pairs of perforations and a wooden picket and a fiat staple loosely encircling the front of said picket and having its arms inserted through the outer pair of per forations and returned into the back of said picket through the inner pair of perforations, substantially as described.

3. In a fence, the combination of a flat stringer, a longitudinally-grooved wooden picket, and a staple loosely encircling said picket and secured in said stringer, substantially as described.

t. In a fence, the combination of a flat stringer having two pairs of perforations, a longitudinally-grooved wooden picket, and a flat staple loosely encircling the front of said picket, inserted through the outer pair of perforations, and returned into the back of said picket through the inner pair of perforations, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing to be myinvention I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day of June, A. D. 1890.

J. C. TAUBER.

Witnesses:

G. GLINN ATKINS, J. S. KILBURY. 

